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Monday, November 30, 2009

Pregnancy Over 40, Chinese Medicine Viewpoint

As much as I read and research all of the factors that influence whether or not we get pregnant every month, I learned a few things I didn't know from this article.My site: www.getpregnantover40.com
It not only explains the menstrual cycle, but it also gives remedies from the chinese medicine standpoint. Read more:

Week Three: Fertilization and ImplantationAfter ovulation, the levels of luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH) immediately drop, and the follicle that produced the egg becomes a cyst called the corpus luteum, which produces progesterone. This part of the cycle is called the luteal phase (see week one), and needs to last for at least 10 days, allowing sufficient time for implantation if an egg is fertilized.

The TCM perspective: Women are warmer in their luteal phase, and Chinese medicine stresses the importance of a warm uterus for implantation. Yang is what warms the body, and when temperatures rise, women are more likely to get pregnant.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Over 40 Pregnant Naturally After Failed IVF

Wow! This article tells a story strikingly similar to mine.My site: www.getpregnantover40.com
A woman tries for years to get pregnant, spends a huge sum of money, endures not only fertility treatments but miscarriage and other complications only to become pregnant naturally at the age of 44. There you have it! Even in the most supposedly hopeless circumstances, you can succeed. Read more:

Friday, November 20, 2009

Get Pregnant Over 40 with Meditation and Visualization

I'm very proud and excited to announce my new CD on Visualization and Meditation for Fertility. It's a project I've been working on for the last year and I developed it after hearing from a number of women who wanted to know how to visualize and meditate - especially with the goal of conceiving and carrying a pregnancy to term. I'm a firm believer that everything we manifest in our life starts with our thoughts. Here is more information about the CD. The link below has an area where you can listen to a preview.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Here is a great article about how women who are trying to conceive may get totally wrapped up and obsessed with every little blip in their "numbers". If you've pursued fertility treatments, you tend to "live and die" by the results of every lab test. What a source of stress. Here's an article that gives some good advice about how to deal with all of it:

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Sperm Healthy Foods And Pregnancy Over 40

Well, I guess I'm on a roll with doing posts about foods for fertility.My site: www.getpregnantover40.com
This article from naturatomica.com gives a number of natural food and supplement choices men (and women) can make to enhance their fertility. As the article says, it's worth giving the natural route a try and it's safer and healthier too. Read more:

Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea) and other foods containing vitamin B6. People who advocate micronutrient supplementation often recommend vitamin B6 for infertility. The best sources of this nutrient, in descending order of potency, are cauliflower, watercress, spinach, garden cress, bananas, okra, onions, broccoli, squash, kale, kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, peas and radishes.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale). According to reports of research with animals in Saudi Arabia, ginger significantly increased sperm count and motility. I hesitate to extrapolate one animal study to humans, but ginger is so safe and tasty that if I were troubled by a low sperm count or poor sperm motility, I wouldn't hesitate to reach for ginger tea, ginger ale, gingerbread and dishes spiced with this tangy herb.

Ginseng (Panax ginseng). California herbalist Kathi Keville, author of The Illustrated Herb Encyclopedia and Herbs for Health and Healing, tells two stories of infertile men who started taking ginseng, schisandra and saw palmetto to build up their physical stamina. Some time later, both of their wives became pregnant.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

My previous post talked about eating the right kinds of fats and whole grains. In addition, I just came across this blog called "The Fertile Kitchen" which has a great recipe for carrots with cilantro and garlic. The author also has a cookbook with recipes that enhance fertility. Read more:

Pregnancy Tip – “Healthy Fats” and “Slow Carbs” Improve Ovulation and Fertility Odds New Research from Harvard Study Supports a Diet High in Monosaturated Fats from Natural Food Sources Like Nuts and Avocados March 25, 2008 (New York, NY) – In groundbreaking news previously unknown to generations of women struggling with infertility, researchers at Harvard’s School of Public Health have confirmed a diet high in “healthy fats” from foods like nuts and avocados improves odds of fertility.

The study, printed in the November 1, 2007 edition of Obstetrics & Gynecology, showed that eating foods with a high ratio of mono-saturated fats to trans-fats and a low glycemic index (GI) can improve ovulation and fertility. With only a few simple switches in diet, couples that struggle with infertility – one in six, according to researchers in the U.S. and Europe – can improve their odds of conceiving.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Trying To Have A Baby, Male Infections Could Get In The Way

I think most of us associate infections with pelvic inflammatory disease and female infertility due to tubal scarring, etc.My site: www.getpregnantover40.com
However, according to the article below, infections may also be a cause of male infertility. Read more:

Dr. Attila Toth is a gynecologist and pathologist at New York Hospital's MacLeod Laboratory for Infertility, named after John Mac-Leod, one of the first and most influential researchers in the field. ''I believe that the sharp rise in infertility cases in the last two decades is the end result of the promiscuity of those years,'' Dr. Toth said in a recent interview. ''I know of 32 bacteria that are transmitted sexually. I'll show you only one photograph and this will explain to you what's happening here.'' He held up a glossy black and white picture of a single sperm with clumps of bacteria clinging to it. ''This sperm has one, two, three, ... 13 bacteria on it,'' he explained. ''But it's still moving. Visualize that this sperm dies in the woman's tube. Do you think the bacteria would die? Why would they? Now, consider how often we attribute infertility to tubal factors, to chronic pelvic infection and so on. But here you see that it is the male who is the carrier of this bacteria."

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Fertility Affected By Gluten Which Affects Hormones

I've written before about how gluten intolerance can be a risk factor for infertility.My site: www.getpregnantover40.com
This article give an in-depth explanation of the chain reaction which may occur which involves the adrenal glands and how their hormone production is affected by gluten. Read more:

You see, the adrenal glands make many hormones. The make adrenaline to give you energy and they make the precursors to all the sex hormones. When they’re tired and they can’t do everything, which do you think they’ll do – make adrenaline to get you through your day or make sex hormones? You guessed it, they make adrenaline.

The result? Inefficient hormonal production resulting in infertility, miscarriages, premature menopause. The very hormone needed to keep a fetus in the womb for the first trimester is the hormone that is “stolen” to make more adrenaline in a fatigued adrenal gland state.

The exciting thing is that something can be done about it. You don’t have to continue to suffer with weak adrenal glands. Actually they’re not that hard to fix and the program to normalize their function is a natural one, meaning no drugs or surgery.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Slight bleeding around ovulation can be a normal part of the process. However, if you are trying to conceive, it might be something to get checked out since it could be a sign of underlying problems like or endometriosis. Read more:

Sometimes, during the middle of a woman’s menstrual cycle, when she is ovulating, she may have some bleeding. Ovulation bleeding is different from the regular menstrual flow. Ovulation bleeding tends to be pink to red in color. Ovulation bleeding is lighter than menstrual flow. Ovulation bleeding typically will last for one to two days.SEE ALSO: SHORT MENSTRUAL CYCLES AND FERTILITY (getpregnantover40.com)A variety of factors can cause ovulation bleeding. For most women who experience ovulation bleeding, the cause is not clear. It may be related to the emergency of follicles. Hormones prompt ovaries to produce around 20 follicles that contain an immature egg, and out of this only one follicle matures. It is during this process of maturing and bursting out from the follicle that pain or bleeding occurs. Ovulation bleeding that is severe or that lasts longer than a couple of days can be a symptom of certain medical conditions, including endometriosis.

Bleeding episodes that are 2 weeks apart suggest that there may be a lack of ovulation altogether. A variety of conditions can cause this, including irritation to the cervix, polyps in the cervix, or polyps in the uterus.from www.babyhopes.com

Monday, November 09, 2009

Get Pregnant Naturally vs. Fertility Drugs

I've done a number of posts about the dangers of fertility drugs.My site: www.getpregnantover40.com
Here is an objective article that looks at not only the success of fertility drugs, but also the risks. Read more:

One major concern surrounding fertility drugs are the instances of multiple births that arise from their use. Multiple births occur in about 50 percent of cases, especially among women in their early 30s or younger. In most cases, risks can be lowered through careful monitoring and controlling dosages of medications. For IVF, if a high number of eggs are seen developing on the ultrasound, doctors are able to remove them and place back two or three embryos. However, as Dr. Valerie Baker states, "in the case of normal or artificial insemination, we have no control. So if we see too many eggs, we may advise the couple to not attempt to get pregnant. But couples sometimes are hesitant to cancel the cycle because they have so much invested in it, both financially and emotionally". In addition, if the couple does not cancel the cycle and four or more embryos implant, the newborn babies have a high risk of neurological complications if they survive. (3).

Multiple births are also risky because they can result in the birth of sickly, premature babies. Premature babies face serious complications, including lung problems and bleeding the head, which can cause long-term physical and mental impairment. (4).

Fertility drugs are often fingered as a risk factor for ovarian cancer. There are several factors that may increase a woman's risk of ovarian cancer. One factor is that an increased number of uninterrupted ovulations in a woman's lifetime increases her chance of developing ovarian cancer. This may explain why events that interrupt the constant cycle of ovulations, such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, and oral contraceptive use, are associated with a decreased risk of ovarian cancer. Another factor is that increased levels of certain hormones associated with ovulation, such as human chorionic gonadotropin, increase the risk of ovarian cancer. Fertility drugs can increase both the number of ovulations and the levels of hormones associated with ovulation.

A conflicting study states that women who take ovulation-inducing drugs in conjunction with IVF are not are increased risk of developing breast, ovarian, or uterine cancer. However, women who seek treatment but do not take fertility drugs have more than twice the expected incidence of uterine cancer, and women with unexplained infertility have elevated rates of uterine an ovarian cancer. This study was based on date on 29, 700 women who registered for treatment at 10 IVF clinics in Australia. This study, however, only refers to increasing the risk of cancers when fertility drugs are taken in conjuncture with IVF, and not the risk of cancer when drugs are taken by themselves.

Monday, November 02, 2009

Pregnancy Over 40, Prepare For Months In Advance

I've posted articles before by Randine Lewis. This site gives a good explanation of all the events leading up to ovulation:

From the site:

Contrary to popular reproductive belief, follicular growth from the resting state until ovulation takes up to 100 days, or more than three menstrual cycles. Follicles are selected from the primordial pool of resting follicles almost a year before ovulation, and are recruited to become active. During the initial pre-gonadotropin period the follicle responds to regulatory factors within the ovary itself, which are like hormones. These growth factors are like hormonal precursors. One important ovarian growth factor, insulin-like growth factor, is the precursor to the youth hormone which is secreted by the thymus gland called growth hormone. Others have names like insulin-like growth factor binding protein, interlukin, tumor necrosis factor, inhibin, vascular endothelial growth factor, and activin. These ovarian growth factors help determine the eventual fertility potential of the oocyte (egg).See also: www.getpregnantover40.com for natural ways to increase progesterone and lengthen your menstrual cycleDuring this period which lasts for many months, the healthy, responsive follicle determines its own fate with these regulatory proteins. The (0.03mm) follicle is first chosen from the primordial pool to double in size (to about 0.06 mm) and become a primary follicle, about 150 days prior to ovulation. It reaches its secondary phase approximately 120 days before ovulation, when it again doubles in size. The follicle then cycles through the pre-antral and early antral phase and grows from about 0.12 mm to about 1.0 mm in approximately 65 days. It has quadrupled in size during this time, and has gone through many stages of proliferation.from: www.acuforconception.com

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About Me

After years of infertility, and finally the birth of her daughter at the age of 44, Sandy Robertson shares information about natural ways to conceive on her website (getpregnantover40.com) and her three blogs on infertility over 40, miscarriage and recurrent miscarriage, and pregnancy/motherhood over 40.